Hare Krishna - Esoteric Teaching

Welcome. This site is huge. We know. It can be pretty bewildering, especially for the first-time visitor just looking around. So here's a guide to the Esoteric Teaching Seminars site, especially for newcomers.

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This is not your typical wishy-washy, lightweight new-age site. It is not candy-coated edutainment. It is a very ancient, very serious, very substantial Esoteric School. Our tradition goes back more than 5,000 years. Much more. Master Teacher David Bruce Hughes is a high initiate of an unbroken spiritual lineage going back to Lord Krsna Himself. He has written and recorded tons of high-level material for your spiritual education and advancement.

Like over 100 podcasts on the essentials of spiritual life. This link opens a special MP3 player that plays the whole series, in order. It remembers where you left off so you can resume listening next time. It's like having a personal spiritual Master Teacher instruct you in the essence of spiritual life.

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That should keep you busy for a while. Welcome, and come back often.

The Books of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Please don’t forget to “Bookmark” this index of free ebooks or to add it to your “Favorites.” To read an ebook listed below, click on it’s title. To return to this index, click “Home” or hit the “G” key. If the lines of text on any of the web pages (including this one) are too long for easy reading, try making your web browser window narrower. To make the text larger or smaller, click “View/Text Size” on your web browser.

Choose among 20,546 verses: ⇓ Bg ⇓ SB 1 ⇓ SB 2 ⇓ SB 3 ⇓ SB 4 ⇓ SB 5 ⇓ SB 6 ⇓ SB 7 ⇓ SB 8 ⇓ SB 9 ⇓ Adi ⇓ Madhya ⇓ Antya ⇓ Bs 5 ⇓ Iso ⇓

Dedication

1. Beyond Birth and Death

2. Bhagavad gītā As It Is

3. Brahma-saṁhitā

4. Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Ādi-līlā

5. Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Madhya-līlā

6. Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Antya-līlā

7. Easy Journey to Other Planets

8. Elevation to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

9. The Journey of Self-Discovery

10. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the Matchless Gift

11. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the Topmost Yoga System

12. Kṛṣṇa, the Reservoir of Pleasure

13. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

14. The Laws of Nature: An Infallible Justice

15. Life Comes from Life

16. Light of the Bhāgavata

17. Message of Godhead

18. Mukunda-mālā-stotra

19. Narada-bhakti-sutra

20. Nectar of Devotion

21. The Nectar of Instruction

22. On the Way to Kṛṣṇa

23. The Path of Perfection

24. Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers

25. The Perfection of Yoga

26. Rāja-Vidyā: The King of Knowledge

27. The Science of Self Realization

28. A Second Chance: The Story of a Near-Death Experience

29. Śrī Īśopaniṣad

30. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 1

31. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 2

32. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3

33. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 4

34. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 5

35. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 6

36. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 7

37. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 8

38. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 9

39. Teachings of Lord Caitanya

40. Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti

41. Teachings of Queen Kuntī

42. Transcendental Teachings of Prahlāda Mahārāja

(Kṛṣṇa’s mercy!) This website uses Sanskrit diacritics with no special font required. It uses the “Segoe UI” font. “Segoe UI” displays 30 out of the 31 standard ISKCON Sanskrit diacritic characters correctly using Firefox, and all 31 correctly using Internet Explorer. If you are using Microsoft Vista, then you already have this font installed. Otherwise, download and install “SegoeUI.zip” (974 KB). If you don’t have the “Segoe UI” font installed, then the “Tahoma” font is used instead. The versions of both the Tahoma and the Microsoft Sans Serif fonts which come with Microsoft Vista and the latest versions of Windows XP display 30 out of the 31 diacritic characters correctly. To get enhanced versions of the Tahoma font, the Microsoft Sans Serif font, and the Lucida Sans Unicode font which display all 31 diacritic characters correctly on all web browsers, download and install “fonts.zip” (702 KB - Updated: August 3, 2006). To compare the way these three fonts should look to the way they look on your particular computer / web browser, click here.

Reference: Temple Mantra Guide

1. Putting on Tilaka
2. Śrī Guru Praṇāma
3. Śrīla Prabhupāda Praṇati
4. Śrī Pañca-tattva Praṇāma
5. Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra, the Great Chanting for Deliverance
6. Śrī Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka
7. Prema-dhvani Prayers
8. Śrī Nṛsiṁha Praṇāma
9. Śrī Tulasī-praṇāma
10. Śrī Tulasī-pūjā-kīrtana
11. Śrī Tulasī Pradakṣiṇa Mantra
12. The TEN Offenses to the Holy Name
13. Vaiṣṇava-praṇāma
14. Śrī Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka
15. Greeting the Deities
16. Śrī Guru-vandanā, the Worship of Śrī Guru
17. Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava
18. Verses Recited Before Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Class
19. Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka
20. Verses Recited Before Reading Kṛṣṇa Book
21. Other Kīrtana Chants
22. Nāma-saṅkīrtana
23. Purport
24. Śrī Nāma-kīrtana
25. Gaura-ārati
26. Lamentation Due to Separation from the Lord and His Associates
27. Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭaka
28. Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭaka
29. Prayers for offering Prasadam
30. Prayers for honering Prasadam
Notice by Śrīla Prabhupāda

1. Putting on Tilaka

Tilaka is sometimes called the ornamentation of the spirit soul. The decoration, made by applying wet clay mixture, marks the body as a temple of Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. The Vaiṣṇava devotee marks his body in twelve places for sanctification and protection, and one who is wearing tilaka can at once be identified as a devotee of the Lord. Just as one can recognize that the strength of the government is behind a uniformed policeman, one can understand that the strength of God is behind a devotee marked with tilaka.

One should pour a little water into the palm of his/her left hand and rub gopī-candana (mud from Dvārakā) into it. When making tilaka the following mantra from the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa should be chanted:

lalāṭe keśavaṁ dhyāyen nārāyaṇam athodare
vakṣaḥ-sthale mādhavaṁ tu govindaṁ kaṇṭha-kūpake

viṣṇuṁ ca dakṣiṇe kukṣau bāhau ca madhusūdanam
trivikramaṁ kandhare tu vāmanaṁ vāma-pārśvake

śrīdharaṁ vāma-bāhau tu hṛṣīkeśaṁ tu kandhare
pṛṣṭhe ca padmanābhaṁ ca kaṭyāṁ dāmodaraṁ nyaset

In Accordance with the avove mentioned mantra one should now apply gopī-candana with the ball of the finger tip of the right ring finger, to make the tilaka markings on the twelve parts of the body. According to the brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa one should not use the fingernail to make the space in the middle of the tilaka. One should place a damp cloth over the finger and make the space with that.

When one marks the forehead with tilaka, he must remember Keśava. When one marks the lower abdomen, he must remember Nārāyaṇa. For the chest, one should remember Mādhava, and when marking the hollow of the neck one should remember Govinda. Lord Viṣṇu should be remembered while marking the right side of the belly, and Madhusūdana should be remembered when marking the right arm. Trivikrama should be remembered when marking the right shoulder, and Vāmana should be remembered when marking the left side of the belly. Śrīdhara should be remembered while marking the left arm, and Hṛṣīkeśa should be remembered when marking the left shoulder. Padmanābha and Dāmodara should be remembered when marking the back. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.202, purport]

The śikhā area is not marked with tilaka; rather, after washing the right hand, wipe the remaining water on your śikhā while chanting oṁ vāsudevāya namaḥ.

Tilaka Marking List

Forehead: Śrī Keśavāya namaḥ

Abdomen: Śrī Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ

Chest: Śrī Mādhavāya namaḥ

Throat: Śrī Govindāya namaḥ

Right waist: Śrī Viṣṇave namaḥ

Right forearm: Śrī Madhusūdanāya namaḥ

Right shoulder: Śrī Trivikramāya namaḥ

Left waist: Śrī Vāmanāya namaḥ

Left forearm: Śrī Śrīdharāya namaḥ

Left shoulder: Śrī Hṛṣīkeśāya namaḥ

Nape of neck: Śrī Padmanābhāya namaḥ

Lower back: Śrī Dāmodarāya namaḥ

Head: Śrī Vāsudevāya namaḥ

2. Śrī Guru Praṇāma

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.

3. Śrīla Prabhupāda Praṇati

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

4. Śrī Pañca-tattva Praṇāma

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, His incarnation Śrī Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu, and His marginal potency Śrīvāsa Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should know that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always accompanied by these other tattvas. Therefore our obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are complete when we say, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. As preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting this Pañca-tattva mantra; then we say, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. There are ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the Pañca-tattva mantra, namely, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is known as mahā-vadānyāvatāra, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus to derive the full benefit of the chanting of the mahā-mantra (Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare), we must first take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, learn the Pañca-tattva mantra, and then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That will be very effective.

5. Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra
The Great Chanting for Deliverance

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

“In this age of Kali, the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of Lord Hari, Kṛṣna. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” [Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa, 18.126] This process of Hari-kīrtana is to chant the mahā-mantra (the great chanting for deliverance): Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. In the Padma Purāṇa it is stated: “There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name is not a material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination.”[Padma Purāṇa] How the holy name of the Lord can be chanted constantly is mercifully described by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself in His Śikṣāṣṭaka verse 3: “One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of falseprestige, and should be ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”

6. Śrī Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka

Eight Prayers to the Guru
by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, who appeared in the middle of the seventeenth century, is a great spiritual master in the Kṛṣṇa conscious chain of gurus and disciples. He says, “One who, with great care and attention, loudly recites this beautiful prayer to the spiritual master during the brāhma-muhūrta obtains direct service to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Vṛndāvana, at the time of his death.”

(1)

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

1) The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.

(2)

mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-
vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena
romāñca -kampāśru-taraṅga-bhājo
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

2) Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end, he feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

(3)

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato ’pi
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

3) The spiritual master is always engaged in the temple worship of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He also engages his disciples in such worship. They dress the Deities in beautiful clothes and ornaments, clean Their temple, and perform other similar worship of the Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

(4)

catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-
svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-saṅghān
kṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

4) The spiritual master is always offering Kṛṣṇa four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk, and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavat-prasāda, he ist satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

(5)

śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-
mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām
prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

5) The spiritual master is always eager to hear and chant about the unlimited conjugal pastimes of Rādhikā and Mādhava, and Their qualities, names, and forms. The spiritual master aspires to relish these at every moment. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

(6)

nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai
yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā
tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

6) The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gopīs, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vṛndāvana. I offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

(7)

sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

7) The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord, because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Śrī Hari [Kṛṣṇa].

(8)

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

8) By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Kṛṣṇa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.

7. Prema-dhvani Prayers

jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata śrī śrīmad a.c. bhaktivedānta svāmī mahārāja prabhupāda—kī jaya.

(All glories to the ācārya Oṁ Viṣṇu-pāda 108 Tridaṇḍī Gosvāmī A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who travels everywhere, preaching the glories of Hari, and who is situated on the highest platform of sannyāsa.)

ISKCON-Founder-Ācārya Śrīla Prabhupāda—kī jaya.

(All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.)

jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata śrī śrīmad bhaktisiddhānta sarasvatī gosvāmī mahārāja prabhupāda—kī jaya.

(All glories to the ācārya Oṁ Viṣṇu-pāda 108 Tridaṇḍī Gosvāmī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, who travels across the earth, preaching the glories of Hari, and who is situated on the highest platform of sannyāsa.)

jaya om viṣṇu-pāda śrīla gaurakiśora dāsa bābājī mahārāja—kī jaya.

(All glories to Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī.)

jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda śrīla saccidānanda bhaktivinoda ṭhākura—kī jaya.

(All glories to Śrīla Sac-cid-ānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.)

jaya oṁ viṣṇu-pāda vaiṣṇava-sārvabhauma śrīla jagannātha dāsa bābājī mahārāja—kī jaya.

(All glories to Vaiṣṇava-Sārvabhauma Śrīla Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī.)

jaya śrī rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha śrī jīva gopāla bhaṭṭa dāsa raghunātha ṣaḍ-gosvāmī prabhu—kī jaya.

(All glories to the six Gosvāmīs, namely, Śrī Rūpa, Sanatāna, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and Raghunātha Dāsa.)

nāmācārya śrīla haridāsa ṭhākura—kī jaya.

(All glories to the Nāmācārya Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura.)

prem-se kaho śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī advaita, gadādhara, śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda—kī jaya.

(Call out with love the names Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Śrī Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.)

śrī śrī rādha-kṛṣṇa, gopa-gopīnatha, śyāma-kuṇḍa, rādhā-kuṇḍa giri-govardhana—kī jaya.

(All glories to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys and girls, the cows, Śyāma-kuṇḍa, Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Govardhana Hill.

[One may glorify the Deities of the temple at this time.]

śrī māyāpur dhāma—kī jaya.

(All glories to Śrī Māyāpur-dhāma.)

śrī vṛndāvana dhāma—kī jaya.

(All glories to Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma.)

gaṅgā-mayī—kī jaya.

(All glories to Gaṅgā-devī.)

yamunā-mayī—kī jaya.

(All glories to Yamunā-devī.)

bhakti-devī—kī jaya.

(All glories to Bhakti-devī.)

tulasī-devī—kī jaya.

(All glories to Tulasī-devī.)

ananta koṭi vaiṣṇava-vṛnda—kī jaya.

(All glories to the unlimited millions of Vaiṣṇavas.)

śrī hari-nāma saṅkīrtana—kī jaya.

(All glories to the congregational chanting of the holy name of Hari.)

grantha-rāja śrīmad-bhāgavatam —kī jaya.

(All glories to the king of books, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.)

ISKCON-vartmāna-guru-vṛnda—kī jaya.

(All glories to the present gurus of ISKCON.)

samāveta bhakta-vṛnda—kī jaya.

(All glories to the assembled devotees.)

gaura-premānande hari-haribol.

(Chant the names Hari! Hari! in the ecstasy of Caitanya-prema.)

All glories to the assembled devotees. [three times]

All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

8. Śrī Nṛsiṁha Praṇāma

namas te narasiṁhāya prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ-śilā-ṭaṅka-nakhālaye

I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasiṁha who gives joy to Prahlāda Mahārāja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu.

ito nṛsiṁhaḥ parato nṛsiṁho yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiṁhaḥ
bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye nṛsiṁho nṛsiṁham ādiṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye

Lord Nṛsiṁha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nṛsiṁha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nṛsiṁha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge.

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛṅgaṁ
dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛṅgam
keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

O Keśava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasplike demon Hiraṇyakaśipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.

9. Śrī Tulasī-praṇāma

In the morning, after maṅgala-āratī (and preferably also in the evening, before sandhyā-āratī), all the assembled devotees should attend tulasī worship and circumambulate Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī. First we offer obeisances to Tulasī-devī with the tulasī-praṇāma-mantra, chanted three times:

(oṁ) vṛndāyai tulasī-devyai priyāyai keśavasya ca
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namaḥ

I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vṛndā, Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī, who is very dear to Lord Keśava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Kṛṣṇa and you possess the highest truth.

Then we sing the tulasī-pūjā-kīrtana while one devotee offers āratī to Tulasī-devi with incense, a ghee lamp and flowers. While offering the articles, the devotee offering tulasī-āratī should stand on a mat and ring a bell with his left hand. Each of the items may be distributed to the assembled devotees after they have been offered to Tulasī-devī.

10. Śrī Tulasī-pūjā-kīrtana

namo namaḥ tulasī kṛṣṇa-preyasi namo namaḥ
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sevā pābo ei abilāṣī

1) O Tulasī, beloved of Kṛṣṇa, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

ye tomāra śaraṇa loy, tara vāñchā pūrṇa hoy
kṛpā kori’ koro tāre vṛndāvana-vāsi

2) Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes fulfilled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Vṛndāvana.

mora ei abhilāṣa, vilāsa kuñje dio vāsa
nayana heribo sadā yugala-rūpa-rāśi

3) My desire is that you will also give me a residence in the pleasure groves of Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Thus within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

ei nivedana dhara, sakhīra anugata koro
sevā-adhikāra diye koro nīja dāsī

4) I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make me your own maidservant.

dīna kṛṣṇa-dāse koy, ei yena mora hoy
śrī-rādhā-govinda-preme sadā yena bhāsi

5) This very fallen and lowly servant of Kṛṣṇa prays, “May I always swim in the love of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Govinda.”

11. Śrī Tulasī Pradakṣiṇa Mantra

When the song is finished, the assembled Vaiṣṇavas should circumambulate Tulasī-devī at least four times and offer her water by pouring some drops at her root (only during morning worship, not in the evening). While circumambulating, we chant,

yāni kāni ca pāpāni brahma-hatyādikāni ca
tāni tāni praṇaśyanti pradakṣiṇaḥ pade pade

When a person circumambulates Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī, all the sins he may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa.

12. The Ten Offenses to the Holy Name

The ten offenses to the holy name are listed as follows in the Padma Purāṇa, as quoted in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 8.24, purport):

satāṁ nindā nāmnaḥ paramam aparādhaṁ vitanute
yataḥ khyātiṁ yātaṁ katham u sahate tad-vigarhām

1. To blaspheme the great saintly persons who are preaching the glories of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is the worst offense at the lotus feet of the holy name. The Nāma-prabhu, who is identical with Kṛṣṇa, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities, even from one who passes as a great devotee.

śivasya śrī-viṣṇor ya iha guṇa-nāmādi-sakalaṁ
dhiyā bhinnaṁ paśyet sa khalu hari-nāmāhita-karaḥ

2. In this material world the holy name of Viṣṇu is all-auspicious. Viṣṇu’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes are all transcendental, absolute knowledge. Therefore, if one tries to separate the Absolute Personality of Godhead from His holy name or His transcendental form, qualities, and pastimes, thinking them material, that is offensive. Similarly, to think that the names of demigods such as Lord Śiva are as good as the name of Lord Viṣṇu is also blasphemous.

guror avajñā

3. It is offensive to consider the spiritual master material and therefore to envy his exalted position.

śruti-śāstra-nindanam

4. It is offensive to blaspheme the Vedic literature such as the four Vedas and the Purāṇas.

artha-vādaḥ

5. It is offensive to consider the glories of the holy name exaggerations.

hari-nāmni kalpanam

6. It is offensive to consider the holy name of the Lord imaginary.

nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi śuddhiḥ

7. The greatest offense at the lotus feet of the holy name is to think that since chanting the holy name can counteract all sinful reactions one may therefore go on sinning and at the same time chant the holy name to neutralize the reactions. One who thinks in this way cannot be purified by any program of sense restraint and severe austerities, nor by the various punishments of Yamarāja.

dharma-vrata-tyāga-hutādi-sarva-
śubha-kriyā-sāmyam api pramādaḥ

8. It is offensive to consider the chanting of the holy name equal to the performance of ordinary religious ceremonies or fire sacrifices, the observance of austere vows, or the practice of renunciation, all of which are materialistic auspicious activities.

aśraddadhāne vimukhe ’py aśṛṇvati
yaś copadeśaḥ śiva-nāmāparādhaḥ

9. It is an offense to preach the glories of the holy name to those unwilling to hear, to atheists, or to those who have no faith in chanting the holy name.

śrutvāpi nāma-māhātmyaṁ yaḥ prīti-rahito ’dhamaḥ
ahaṁ-mamādi-paramo nāmni so ’py aparādha-kṛt

10. If a person has heard the glories of the transcendental holy name of the Lord but nevertheless continues in the materialistic concept of life, thinking, “I am this body and everything belonging to this body is mine,” and if he thus shows no respect or love for the chanting of the holy name, that is an offense.

api pramādaḥ

It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.

Every devotee who claims to be a Vaiṣṇava must carefully guard against these ten offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success, Kṛṣṇa-prema

13. Vaiṣṇava-praṇāma

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone. They are oceans of mercy and are the purifiers of the fallen souls.

14. Śrī Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka

Eight Instructions
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Kṛṣṇa, a task which His followers have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact, the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Śikṣāṣṭaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts. These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein.

(1)

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṇkīrtanam

1) Glory to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

(2)

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ

2) O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Kṛṣṇa and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

(3)

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

3) One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

(4)

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

4) O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

(5)

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya

5) O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Kṛṣṇa], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

(6)

nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava-nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati

6) O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

(7)

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa
cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ
govinda-viraheṇa me

7) O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

(8)

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām
adarśanān marma-hatām-hatāṁ karotu vā
yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo
mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

8) I know no one but Kṛṣṇa as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

15. Greeting the Deities

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ
barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kaminīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock’s feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids. [Brahma-saṁhitā Text 5.30]

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane. [Brahma-saṁhitā
Text 5.32]

16. Śrī Guru-vandanā
The Worship of Śrī Guru
(from Prema-bhakti-candrikā)

(1)

śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando mui sāvadhāna mate
jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi,
kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha’te

1) The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

(2)

guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya,
ār nā koriho mane āśā
śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasāde pūre sarva āśā

2) My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.

(3)

cakhu-dān dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jñān hṛde prokāśito
prema-bhakti jāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa jāte,
vede gāy jāhāra carito

3) He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.

(4)

śrī-guru karuṇā-sindhu, adhama janāra bandhu,
lokanāth lokera jīvana
hā hā prabhu koro doyā, deho more pada-chāyā,
ebe jaśa ghuṣuk tribhuvana

4) Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was very fond of this song and sang it just before his lectures. In Allahabad and Gorakhpur Śrīla Prabhupāda fell into a trance after singing the first two lines, and after some time he came back into external consciousness and said, “Now just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīla Prabhupāda said that this song is “a picture of Vṛndāvana. Everything is there—Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Vṛndāvana, Govardhana, Yaśodā, and all the cowherd boys.”

17. Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava
by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

(jaya) rādhā-mādhava (jaya) kuñja-bihārī
(jaya) gopī-jana-vallabha (jaya) giri-vara-dhārī
(jaya) jaśodā-nandana, (jaya) braja-jana-rañjana,
(jaya) jāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī

Kṛṣṇa is the lover of Rādhā. He displays many amorous pastimes in the groves of Vṛndāvana, He is the lover of the cowherd maidens of Vraja, the holder of the great hill named Govardhana, the beloved son of mother Yaśodā, the delighter of the inhabitants of Vraja, and He wanders in the forests along the banks of the River Yamunā.

18. Verses Recited Before
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Class

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya
naraṁ caiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ
tato jayam udīrayet

Before reciting this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, unto Nara-nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author. [SB 1.2.4]

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. [SB 1.2.17]

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. [SB 1.2.18]

19. Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka
Eight Prayers to the Six Gosvamis
by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya

(1)

kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī
dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau
śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

1) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.

(2)

nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau
lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

2) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

(3)

śrī-gaurāṇga-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau
pāpottāpa-nikṛntanau tanu-bhṛtāṁ govinda-gānāmṛtaiḥ
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaika-nipuṇau kaivalya-nistārakau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

3) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are very much enriched in understanding of Lord Caitanya and who are thus expert in narrating His transcendental qualities. They can purify all conditioned souls from the reactions of their sinful activities by pouring upon them transcendental songs about Govinda. As such, they are very expert in increasing the limits of the ocean of transcendental bliss, and they are the saviors of the living entities from the devouring mouth of liberation.

(4)

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat
bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau
gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

4) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they are always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopis’ love for Kṛṣṇa and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.

(5)

kūjat-kokila-haṁsa-sārasa-gaṇākīrṇe mayūrākule
nānā-ratna-nibaddha-mūla-viṭapa-śrī-yukta-vṛndāvane
rādhā-kṛṣṇam ahar-niśaṁ prabhajatau jīvārthadau yau mudā
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

5) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were always engaged in worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the transcendental land of Vṛndāvana where there are beautiful trees full of fruits and flowers which have under their roots all valuable jewels. The Gosvāmīs are perfectly competent to bestow upon the living entities the greatest boon of the goal of life.

(6)

saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau
nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa-smṛter madhurimānandena sammohitau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

6) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were engaged in chanting the holy names of the Lord and bowing down in a scheduled measurement. In this way they utilized their valuable lives and in executing these devotional activities they conquered over eating and sleeping and were always meek and humble enchanted by remembering the transcendental qualities of the Lord.

(7)

rādhā-kuṇḍa-taṭe kalinda-tanayā-tīre ca vaṁśīvaṭe
premonmāda-vaśād aśeṣa-daśayā grastau pramattau sadā
gāyantau ca kadā harer guṇa-varaṁ bhāvābhibhūtau mudā
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

7) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were sometimes on the bank of the Rādhā-kunda lake or the shores of the Yamuna and sometimes at Vaṁśīvaṭa. There they appeared just like madmen in the full ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa, exhibiting different transcendental symptoms in their bodies, and they were merged in the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

(8)

he rādhe vraja-devīke ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ
śrī-govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ
ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

8) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vṛndāvana, shouting, “Queen of Vṛndāvana, Rādhārāṇī! O Lalita! O son of Nanda Mahārāja! Where are you all now? Are you just on the hill of Govardhana, or are you under the trees on the bank of the Yamunā? Where are you?” These were their moods in executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

20. Verses Recited Before Reading Kṛṣṇa Book

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.51): kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also taught us this. While passing on the road, He used to chant:

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa he
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa he
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa rakṣa mām
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa pāhi mām
rāma rāghava rāma rāghava rāma rāghava rakṣa mām
kṛṣṇa keśava kṛṣṇa keśava kṛṣṇa keśava pāhi mām

“O Lord Kṛṣṇa, please protect Me and maintain Me. O Lord Rāma, descendant of King Raghu, please protect Me. O Kṛṣṇa, O Keśava, killer of the Keśī demon, please maintain Me.”

If one always chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, gradually one is freed from all reactions of sinful life, provided he chants offenselessly and does not commit more sinful activities on the strength of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. In this way one is purified, and his devotional service causes the arousal of his dormant love of God. If one simply chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and does not commit sinful activities and offenses, one’s life is purified, and thus one comes to the fifth stage of perfection, or engagement in the loving service of the Lord (premā pum-artho mahān).

21. Other Kīrtana Chants

Prayer to Lord Jagannātha

Jagannātha-svāmī nayana paṭhagami bhavatu me

May that Jagannātha-svāmī be the object of my vision

Prayer to Lord Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda

nitāi gaurāṅga, nitāi gaurāṅga
Jaya śacīnandana, gaura-hari

All glories to Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya, the son of Śacī-devī, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself in golden hue.

Prayer to Lord Govinda

govinda jaya jaya, gopāla jaya jaya
Rādhā-Ramaṇa hari, govinda jaya jaya

All glories to Lord Śrī Govinda! All glories to Lord Śrī Gopala! All glories to Lord Śrī Hari, the husband of Rādhārāṇī.

22. Nāma-saṅkīrtana

(1)

hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ
yādavāya mādhavāya keśavāya namaḥ

1) O Lord Hari, O Lord Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances to You, who are known as Hari, Yādava, Mādhava, and Keśava.

(2)

gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana
giridhārī gopīnātha madana-mohana

2) O Gopāla, Govinda, Rāma, Śrī Madhusūdana, Giridhārī Gopīnātha, and Madana-mohana!

(3)

śrī-caitanya-nityānanda śrī-advaita-sītā
hari guru vaiṣṇaba bhāgavata gītā

3) All glories to Śrī Caitanya and Nityānanda! All glories to Śrī Advaita Ācārya and His consort, Śrī Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī. All glories to Lord Hari, to the spiritual master, the Vaiṣṇavas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrīmad Bhagavad-Gītā.

(4)

śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha
śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha

4) All glories to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

(5)

ei chay gosāir kori caraṇa vandan
jāhā hoite bighna-nāś abhīṣṭa-pūraṇ

5) I offer my obeisances to the feet of these six Gosvāmīs. By bowing to them, all obstacles to devotion are destroyed and all spiritual desires are fulfilled.

(6)

ei chay gosāi jār—mui tār dās
tā-sabāra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grās

6) I am the servant of that person who is a servant of these six Gosvāmīs. The dust of their lotus feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs.

(7)

tādera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās
janame janame hoy ei abhilāṣ

7) This is my desire: that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of these six Gosvāmīs.

(8)

ei chay gosāi jabe braje koilā bās
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nitya-līlā korilā prakāś

8) When these six Gosvāmīs lived in Vraja they revealed the lost holy places and explained the eternal pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

(9)

ānande bolo hari bhaja bṛndāban
śrī-guru-vaiṣṇaba-pade majāiyā man

9) Just shout the names of Lord Hari in great ecstasy and worship the transcendental realm of Vṛndāvana while absorbing your mind in meditation upon the divine feet of the spiritual master and the Vaiṣṇavas.

(10)

śrī-guru-vaiṣṇaba-pada-padma kori āś
narottama dāsa kohe nāma-saṅkīrtana

10) Desiring to serve the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, Narottama dāsa sings this saṅkīrtana of the holy names of Lord Hari.

23. Purport
by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

This song of Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura is very famous among devotees in Bengal and Orissa. When Lord Caitanya returned from Gaya, where He was initiated by Śrī Īśvara Purī, He was completely transformed into a God-intoxicated personality whom His students of grammar had never known before. Instead of teaching ordinary grammar studies, Lord Caitanya explained every sentence in such a way that every Sanskrit word and every letter was understood to indicate Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This form of grammar was later on developed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in a book called Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa, The Grammar of the Nectar and Name of Śrī Hari. But Lord Caitanya’s students thought that their teacher had become mad, and they rubbed His head with Viṣṇu oil, an oil that cools the brain. Finally they asked Him, “You say that everything means Kṛṣṇa and we should ultimately always be chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. Just how should we do this?” Then Lord Caitanya began to sing the names of Kṛṣṇa and clap His hands, and He began His nāma-saṅkīrtana movement. The names He sang are the first two lines of this song, and Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and others have placed these names in the beginning of their writings to immortalize these events in the memory of everyone.

Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura chants the names of Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita and Sītā (Lord Advaita’s consort). Since Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā are all on the transcendental platform, they are given the same respect. Then Śrīla Narottama Dāsa chants the names of the six Gosvāmīs. “I offer my obeisances at their feet,” he sings, “which destroy sufferings accumulated over many long years. I am the servant of these six Gosvāmīs, and the dust of their lotus feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs. To serve their lotus feet and keep the association of devotees is my only business, birth after birth.” When the six Gosvāmīs were staying at Vṛndāvana, they revealed the eternal transcendental pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Before Lord Caitanya the exact location of the places of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes were not known, and therefore Lord Caitanya instructed the Gosvāmīs to uncover the holy places and construct temples. The temple of Śrī Rādhā Dāmodara is situated near the location of the rasa dance, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and the other Gosvāmīs used to gather there and discuss the topics of their literatures, which scientifically explained the super-excellent pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura says, “In great ecstasy shout the name of Hari and serve the real transcendental master and devotees.” He concludes by saying, “With all hopes in the lotus feet of my guru and the holy Vaiṣṇavas, Narottama Dāsa sings the saṅkīrtana of Lord Hari: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”

24. Śrī Nāma-kīrtana
Chanting of the Holy Names
(from Gītāvalī)

(1)

yaśomatī-nandana, braja-baro-nāgara,
gokula-rañjana kāna
gopī-parāṇa-dhana, madana-manohara,
kāliya-damana-vidhāna

1) Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beloved son of mother Yaśodā; the transcendental lover in the land of Vraja; the delight of Gokula; Kāna [a nickname of Kṛṣṇa]; the wealth of the lives of the gopīs. He steals the mind of even Cupid and punishes the Kāliya serpent.

(2)

amala harinām amiya-vilāsā
vipina-purandara, navīna nāgara-bora,
baṁśī-badana suvāsā

2) These pure, holy names of Lord Hari are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of the twelve forests of Vraja, He is ever-youthful and is the best of lovers. He is always playing on a flute, and He is an excellent dresser.

(3)

braja-jana-pālana, asura-kula-nāśana
nanda-godhana-rākhowālā
govinda mādhava, navanīta-taskara,
sundara nanda-gopālā

3) Kṛṣṇa is the protector of the inhabitants of Vraja; the destroyer of various demoniac dynasties; the keeper and tender of Nanda Mahārāja’s cows; the giver of pleasure to the cows, land, and spiritual senses; the husband of the goddess of fortune; the butter thief; and the beautiful cowherd boy of Nanda Mahārāja.

(4)

yāmuna-taṭa-cara, gopī-basana-hara,
rāsa-rasika, kṛpāmoya
śrī-rādhā-vallabha, bṛndābana-naṭabara,
bhakativinod-āśraya

4) Kṛṣṇa wanders along the banks of the River Yamunā. He stole the garments of the young damsels of Vraja who were bathing there. He delights in the mellows of the rāsa dance; He is very merciful; the lover and beloved of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; the great dancer of Vṛndāvana; and the shelter and only refuge of Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda.

25. Gaura-ārati
(from Gītāvalī)

(1)

(kiba) jaya jaya gorācānder āratiko śobhā
jāhnavī-taṭa-vane jaga-mana-lobhā
jaga-jana-mana-lobhā

(First Refrain)
gaurāṅger ārotik śobhā
jaga-jana-mana-lobhā

1) All glories, all glories to the beautiful ārati ceremony of Lord Caitanya. This Gaura-ārati is taking place in a grove on the banks of the Jāhnavī [Ganges] and is attracting the minds of all living entities in the universe.

(2)

dakhiṇe nitāicānd, bāme gadādhara
nikaṭe adwaita, śrīnivāsa chatra-dhara

2) On Lord Caitanya’s right side is Lord Nityānanda, and on His left is Śrī Gadādhara. Nearby stands Śrī Advaita, and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is holding an umbrella over Lord Caitanya’s head.

(3)

bosiyāche gorācānd ratna-siṁhāsane
ārati koren brahmā-ādi deva-gaṇe

3) Lord Caitanya has sat down on a jeweled throne, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, perform the ārati ceremony.

(4)

narahari-ādi kori’ cāmara dhulāya
sañjaya-mukunda-bāsu-ghoṣ-ādi gāya

4) Narahari Sarakāra and other associates of Lord Caitanya fan Him with cāmaras, and devotees headed by Sañjaya Paṇḍita, Mukunda Datta, and Vāsu Ghoṣa sing sweet kīrtana.

(5)

śaṅkha bāje ghaṇṭā bāje bāje karatāla
madhura mṛdaṅga bāje parama rasāla

(Second Refrain)
śankha bāje ghaṇṭā bāje
madhur madhur madhur bāje

5) Conchshells, bells, and karatālas resound, and the mṛdaṅgas play very sweetly. This kīrtana music is supremely sweet and relishable to hear.

(6)

bahu-koṭi candra jini’ vadana ujjvala
gala-deśe bana-mālā kore jhalamala

6) The brilliance of Lord Caitanya’s face conquers millions upon millions of moons, and the garland of forest flowers around His neck shines.

(7)

śiva-śuka-nārada preme gada-gada
bhakativinoda dekhe gorāra sampada

7) Lord Śiva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Nārada Muni are all there, and their voices are choked with the ecstasy of transcendental love. Thus Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda envisions the glory of Lord Śrī Caitanya.

26. Sapārṣada-bhagavad-viraha-janita-vilāpa
Lamentation Due to Separation
from the Lord and His Associates
(from Prārthanā)

(1)

je ānilo prema-dhana koruṇā pracur
heno prabhu kothā gelā ācārya-ṭhākur

1) He who brought the treasure of divine love and who was filled with compassion and mercy—where has such a personality as Śrīnivāsa Ācārya gone?

(2)

kāhā mora swarūp rūpa kāhā sanātan
kāhā dāsa raghunātha patita-pāvan

2) Where are my Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rūpa Gosvāmī? Where is Sanātana? Where is Raghunātha dāsa, the savior of the fallen?

(3)

kāhā mora bhaṭṭa-juga kāhā kavirāj
eka-kāle kothā gelā gorā naṭa-rāj

3) Where are my Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and where is Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja? Where did Lord Gaurāṅga, the great dancer, suddenly go?

(4)

pāṣāṇe kuṭibo māthā anale paśibo
gaurāṅga guṇera nidhi kothā gele pābo

4) I will smash my head against the rock and enter into the fire. Where will I find Lord Gaurāṅga, the reservoir of all wonderful qualities?

(5)

se-saba saṅgīra saṅge je koilo bilās
se-saṅga nā pāiyā kānde narottama dās

5) Being unable to obtain the association of Lord Gaurāṅga accompanied by all of these devotees in whose association He performed His pastimes, Narottama dāsa simply weeps.

27. Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭaka

(found in the Padma Purāṇa of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa,
spoken by Satyavrata Muni in a conversation with Nārada Muni and Śaunaka Ṛṣi)

“In the month of Kārtika one should worship Lord Dāmodara and daily recite the prayer known as Dāmodarāṣṭaka, which has been spoken by the sage Satyavrata and which attracts Lord Dāmodara. ”

(Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 2.16.198)

(1)

namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ
lasat-kuṇḍalaṁ gokule bhrājamanam
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaṁ
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā

1) To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro, who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who [due to the offense of breaking the pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing] is quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of mother Yaśodā, but who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed—to that Supreme Lord, Śrī Dāmodara, I offer my humble obeisances.

(2)

rudantaṁ muhur netra-yugmaṁ mṛjantam
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātaṅka-netram
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāṅka-kaṇṭha-
sthita-graivaṁ dāmodaraṁ bhakti-baddham

2) [Seeing the whipping stick in His mother’s hand,] He is crying and rubbing His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the necklace of pearls around His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conchshell, is shaking because of His quick breathing due to crying. To this Supreme Lord, Śrī Dāmodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His mother’s pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.

(3)

itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
tadīyeṣita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvaṁ
punaḥ prematas taṁ śatāvṛtti vande

3) By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Dāmodara hundreds and hundreds of times.

(4)

varaṁ deva mokṣaṁ na mokṣāvadhiṁ vā
na canyaṁ vṛṇe ’haṁ vareṣād apīha
idaṁ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaṁ
sadā me manasy āvirāstāṁ kim anyaiḥ

4) 0 Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuṇṭha, nor any other boon [which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti]. O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bāla Gopāla in Vṛndāvana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?

(5)

idaṁ te mukhāmbhojam atyanta-nīlair
vṛtaṁ kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
muhuś cumbitaṁ bimba-raktādharaṁ me
manasy āvirāstām alaṁ lakṣa-lābhaiḥ

5) 0 Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair tinged with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yaśodā, and Your lips are reddish like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face be ever manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.

(6)

namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaṁ batānu
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ

6) 0 Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Dāmodara! O Ananta! O Viṣṇu! O master! O my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.

(7)

kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca
tathā prema-bhaktiṁ svakāṁ me prayaccha
na mokṣe graho me ‘sti dāmodareha

7) 0 Lord Dāmodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera—Manigrīva and Nalakūvara—were delivered from the curse of Nārada and made into great devotees by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please give to me Your own prema-bhakti. I only long for this and have no desire for any kind of liberation.

(8)

namas te ’stu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne
tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne
namo rādhikāyai tvadīya-priyāyai
namo ’nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam

8) 0 Lord Dāmodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your belly, which is the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and I offer all obeisances to You, the Supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.

SVA 4: Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭaka

28. Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭaka

(1)

kadācit kālindī-taṭa-vipina-saṅgītaka-ravo
mudābhīrī-nārī-vadana-kamalāsvāda-madhupaḥ
ramā-śambhu-brahmāmara-pati-gaṇeśārcita-pado
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

1) Sometimes in great happiness Lord Jagannātha makes a loud concert with His flute in the groves on the banks of the Yamunā. He is like a bumblebee tasting the beautiful lotuslike faces of the cowherd damsels of Vraja, and great personalities such as Lakṣmī, Śiva, Brahmā, Indra, and Gaṇeśa worship His lotus feet. May that Jagannātha Svāmī be the object of my vision.

(2)

bhuje savye veṇuṁ śirasi śikhi-puccham kaṭi-taṭe
dukūlaṁ netrānte sahacara-kaṭākṣaṁ vidadhate
sadā śrīmad-vṛndāvana-vasati-līlā-paricayo
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

2) In His left hand Lord Jagannātha holds a flute, on His head He wears peacock feathers, and on His hips He wears fine yellow silken cloth. From the corners of His eyes He bestows sidelong glances upon His loving devotees, and He always reveals Himself through His pastimes in His divine abode of Vṛndāvana. May that Jagannātha Svāmī be the object of my vision.

(3)

mahāmbhodhes tīre kanaka-rucire nīla-śikhare
vasan prāsādāntaḥ sahaja-balabhadreṇa balinā
subhadrā-madhya-sthaḥ sakala-sura-sevāvasara-do
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

3) On the shore of the great ocean, within a large palace atop the brilliant, golden Nīlācala Hill, Lord Jagannātha resides with His powerful brother Balabhadra and His sister Subhadrā, who sits between Them. May that Jagannātha Svāmī, who bestows the opportunity for devotional service upon all godly souls, be the object of my vision.

(4)

kṛpā-pārāvāraḥ sajala-jalada-śreṇi-ruciro
ramā-vāṇī-rāmaḥ sphurad-amala-paṅkeruha-mukhaḥ
surendrair ārādhyaḥ śruti-gaṇa-śikhā-gīta-carito
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

4) Lord Jagannātha is an ocean of mercy and as beautiful as a row of blackish rain clouds. He is the storehouse of bliss for Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī, and His face resembles a spotless fullblown lotus. The best of demigods and sages worship Him, and the Upaniṣads sing His glories. May that Jagannātha Svāmī be the object of my vision.

(5)

rathārūḍho gacchan pathi milita-bhūdeva-paṭalaiḥ
stuti-prādurbhāvam prati-padam upākarṇya sadayaḥ
dayā-sindhur bandhuḥ sakala jagatāṁ sindhu-sutayā
jagannāthah svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

5) When Lord Jagannātha moves along the road on His Rathayātrā car, at every step large assemblies of brāhmaṇas loudly chant prayers and sing songs for His pleasure. Hearing their hymns, Lord Jagannātha becomes very favorably disposed toward them. He is the ocean of mercy and the true friend of all the worlds. May that Jagannātha Svāmī, along with His consort Lakṣmī, who was born from the ocean of nectar, be the object of my vision.

(6)

para-brahmāpīḍaḥ kuvalaya-dalotphulla-nayano
nivāsī nīlādrau nihita-caraṇo 'nanta-śirasi
rasānando rādhā-sarasa-vapur-āliṅgana-sukho
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

6) Lord Jagannātha, whose eyes resemble full-blown lotus petals, is the ornament on Lord Brahmā's head. He resides on Nīlācala Hill with His lotus feet placed on the heads of Anantadeva. Overwhelmed by the mellows of love, He joyfully embraces Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's body, which is like a cool pond. May that Jagannātha Svāmī be the object of my vision.

(7)

na vai yāce rājyaṁ na ca kanaka-māṇikya-vibhavaṁ
na yāce 'haṁ ramyāṁ sakala jana-kāmyāṁ vara-vadhūm
sadā kāle kāle pramatha-patinā gīta-carito
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

7) I do not pray for a kingdom? nor for gold, rubies, or wealth. I do not ask for a beautiful wife. as desired by all men. I simply pray that Jagannātha Svāmī, whose glories Lord Śiva always sings, may be the constant object of my vision.

(8)

hara tvaṁ saṁsāraṁ druta-taram asāraṁ sura-pate
hara tvaṁ pāpānāṁ vitatiṁ aparāṁ yādava-pate
aho dīne 'nāthe nihita-caraṇo niścitam idarṅ
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

8) 0 Lord of the demigods, please quickly remove this useless material existence I am undergoing. O Lord of the Yadus, please destroy this vast, shoreless ocean of sins. Alas, this is certain: Lord Jagannātha bestows His lotus feet upon those who feel themselves fallen and have no shelter in this world but Him. May that Jagannātha Svāmī be the object of my vision.

(9)

jagannāthāṣṭakaṁ punyaṁ yaḥ paṭhet prayataḥ śuciḥ
sarva-pāpa-viśuddhātmā viṣṇu-lokaṁ sa gacchati

9) The self-retrained, virtuous soul who recites these eight verses glorifying Lord Jagannātha becomes cleansed of all sins and duly proceeds to Lord Viṣṇu's abode.

29. Prayers for offering Prasadam

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

namo maha-vadanyaya
krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-
namne gaura-tvishe namaha

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other incarnation, even Krishna Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given pure love of Kṛṣṇa.

namo-brahmanya-devaya
go brahmana hitaya cha
jagad-hitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namaha

I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna, who is the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas as well as the living entities in general. I offer my repeated obeisances to Govinda [Krishna], who is the pleasure reservoir for all the senses.

30. Prayers for honering Prasadam

Prasāda-sevāya
From Gītāvalī

śarīra avidyā-jāl, joḍendriya tāhe kāl,
jīve phele viṣaya-sāgore
tā’ra madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati,
tā’ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre

kṛṣṇa baḍo doyāmay, karibāre jihvā jay,
sva-prasād-anna dila bhāi
sei annāmṛta pāo, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo,
preme ḍāko caitanya-nitāi

O Lord, this material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths leading to death. Somehow we have fallen into this ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the tongue is the most voracious and uncontrollable. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world. But You, dear Kṛṣṇa, are very kind to us and have given us such nice prasādam just to control the tongue. Now we take this prasādam to our full satisfaction and glorify You—Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa—and in love call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda.

mahā-prasāde govinde nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave
svalpa-puṇya-vatāṁ rājan viśvāso naiva jāyate

O king, for those with little pious credit, faith in mahā-prasāda, Śrī Govinda, the holy name, and the Vaiṣṇavas never arises. [Mahābhārata]

NOTICE

All initiated devotees must attend morning and evening classes.
Must not be addicted to any kind of intoxicants including coffee, tea and cigarettes.
They are forbidden to have any illicit sex connections.
Must be strictly vegetarian.
Should not extensively mix with non-devotees.
Should not eat foodstuff cooked by non-devotees.
Should not waste time in idle talks nor
Engage himself in frivolous sports.
Should always chant and sing the Lord's Holy names:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama HareRama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

____

Thank you,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami